Deep Forest
by ugahill
Summary: Kagome's got to learn how to run? What better place to practice than an ominous, Deep Forest, complete with evil spirits, beautiful flowers, and Inuyasha's stoic half-brother, the demon Sesshoumaru?


***Hi all! This is something of a different flavor–another of my favorite shows. Don't worry, I haven't stopped working on my other, incomplete fics, I just noticed this one the other day and decided to brush the dust off it. If you notice, it's a two for one...I love the song "Fukai Mori" on the Inuyasha soundtrack, and so decided to dedicate the fic to the lyrics of the song. All of the lyrics are woven into the story, somehow–can you find them? Also, for added fun...if you listen to the song, you can hear as one of the characters "strikes" the demon from the story down. You'll have to read it to see what I'm talking about, but if you ever get your hands on the song, listen for the 3 "Punches" to hear the story come to life!***

  
  


Deep Forest (Fukai Mori)

I'm sure that the heart I left behind

still lies hidden in the heart of the deep, deep forest.

Exhausted, without the strength to search

people vanish into the infinite darkness.

If it's so small, I wonder if I can see it even now?

As we live on,

we lose a little bit more.

Shrouded in falsehoods and lies,

we stand frozen to the spot, unable to cry out

The days pass by and change,

without us even realizing how blue the sky really is.

Overcoming that made-up scheme, we live the present,

and our rusted hearts begin to beat again!

If we can find the rhythm of time, we can fly once again

We live our lives

wandering to the ends of the earth.

Believing (in you?), now I begin my journey with you,

in search of the light.

*Repeat

We live our lives

wandering to the ends of the earth.

Closing off

the way back,

we walk on for eternity.

We live our lives standing frozen to the spot,

unable to cry out, for eternity...

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Deep Forest 

"This is a stupid waste of time. We're losing precious moments when we could be out searching for the last of the Shikon shards!"

"You don't have to come with me if you don't want to," said Kagome calmly, bending down to tie her sneakers. "I won't take long, I promise."

Inuyasha snorted. "You'd get lost in that forest, then I'd have to come looking for you, and we'd be wasting even _more_ time."

Kagome sighed, and glanced behind her at the large trees that overshadowed the meadow they were standing in. It was the largest and deepest forest she'd ever seen in feudal Japan, despite having traveled many, many miles in her search for the Shikon shards. Every tree stood taller and wider than Goshinboku, the sacred tree near her family's shrine in modern day Tokyo.

She felt strange, wearing her athletic shorts and sneakers from school. But her last physical exam test had nearly cost her a very important grade, simply because she couldn't run the same distance as the rest of the group. 

_To think I've walked and cycled more miles than anyone else in the modern world would ever hope to, but I still can't pass the running part of a physical exam! _

So she'd packed her running clothes and shoes, determined to train while she was traveling with Inuyasha and the rest.

"I need to practice running. This forest will be perfect. It will only take a little while."

Inuyasha frowned. "Why would you need to _practice _running? Why don't you just run?"

"I will just run. I just need to run...better. So I have to practice."

"Keh. Sounds like a waste of time to me. If you want to run faster, have someone chase you."

Kagome shook her head, but smiled lightly. "It doesn't work that way. I have to be tested on it. So I have to be able to do it all the time."

"A test? To run? Why would you need to be..."

Kagome waved her hand and trotted towards the forest. After a moment, Inuyasha rose and followed her, a look of displeasure on his face.

She entered the forest cautiously, glancing about at the gigantic trees which rose high above her head. The forest was deep–deep and very dark, with just a few beams of light shining through the thick treetops. There was enough light to make out a path, however, and she jogged along at a comfortable pace, enjoying the coolness of the shadows and the slight breeze which ruffled the undergrowth. The forest felt cold, but unimposing.

Inuyasha was a few paces behind her, walking swiftly to keep up, but otherwise looking unconcerned. 

A cliff rose off ahead, just to the right. Beside it, the forest continued onward, into a dark infinity. Kagome lifted her head, letting the fresh air blow past her face, and turned into the sheltered endlessness of the mori.

Inuyasha quickened his pace, letting Kagome get just beyond his line of vision, but keeping his ears tuned to the sounds of the forest around him. He'd traveled all across the lands, but he failed to remember this forest. Beyond that, it had a strange, almost sour smell, different from the fresh scent a young, vibrant forest emitted. But this place _was_ old, and as he was often reminded, aged things took on a scent less pleasant than most.

A cliff rose above them, covered with the gigantic trees native to this forest. Kagome broke into a swift jog in front of him, disappearing beneath the shadows of the trees to the left of the hillside. He frowned; he'd have to run now, to keep up with her.

A familiar scent floated down from the top of the hillside, halting him. He'd recognize that scent anywhere. The scent of a very powerful youkai. A youkai who was watching him with golden, hate-filled eyes...

_Sesshoumaru_...

He stared upwards for a moment, peering through the thicket of trees, trying to make out the form of his elder brother. If Sesshoumaru planned to attack, he'd have done so by now. 

_He's probably scoffing at how slow I was to sense him. Well, I won't give him the satisfaction of knowing he's unnerved me._

He squared his shoulders and crossed his arms, nose in the air, and marched after Kagome, deeper into the forest.

Sesshoumaru gazed down at Inuyasha's retreating form. As usual, the hanyou was acting as though he had no sense of mind; Sesshoumaru would have been able to slice off his head and the human's before Inuyasha had even realized he was near. His arrogant response when he'd finally sensed Sesshoumaru meant that Sesshoumaru's presence had unnerved him; an unsurprising characteristic for one so foolish as his half-brother.

"Rin, that's enough! You've gathered enough and you're wasting Lord Sesshoumaru's time!"

"Just one more, Jaken-sama, please?"

He turned slightly; out of the corner of his eye he could make out the figure of Rin, gathering bunches of flowers in her tiny arms, and avoiding the frenetic movements of Jaken, who was jumping up and down in front of her.

"That's enough! You have no where to put them, and–"

"Jaken."

The small youkai turned, his large eyes popping even more at the sound of Sesshoumaru's voice. In an instant, he became still.

"Rin, come."

Sesshoumaru turned, glancing back at his younger brother once more before heading into the forest. Jaken grasped the harness for Aun and trotted upwards until he and the great beast were walking just behind Sesshoumaru. Rin came up behind them, her focus on the tops of the great trees.

Rin tucked her flowers into her kimono and spread her arms, dancing backwards and forwards behind Sesshoumaru-sama. As usual, Jaken was trying to walk beside him, and paying very little attention to her.

The trees in the forest were gigantic, bigger than any she'd seen; but they gave her a sense of comfort. They reminded her of the forest in which she'd found Sesshoumaru, where he'd saved her from the villagers and the wolves.

_Now I begin my journey with you..._

Something above her glittered in the dim sunlight. Just to her right, on the first branch up of a massive tree, a beautiful flower bloomed bright and fresh, despite the lack of sunlight. It was an orchid, black, with a beautiful red heart that reminded her of the markings on Sesshoumaru's robes. 

She'd gathered enough flowers for the day, or so Jaken told her, but this one was special. It would only take her a few moments to get it.

Quietly, so as not to disturb either Lord Sesshoumaru or Jaken, she began to climb the tree, scaling it swiftly as she'd done so many times before back in her village. The flower wasn't hard to reach; it came off from its stem easily. Up close, it was even more beautiful, with jet black petals than seemed to glow in the darkness, and a red core that almost pulsed with vivacity. She liked it immediately; for some strange reason, it reminded her of Lord Sesshoumaru. 

She hopped down, turning towards where they'd been walking.

_I hope Lord Sesshoumaru likes this..._

They were gone.

Kagome paused beside a fallen tree, catching her breath.

_It's no wonder I failed the physical fitness exam...I can't even run a mile without getting tired! Although I am good at short distance sprinting–all those battles with Naraku has taught me that!_

Inuyasha had followed patiently behind her the entire way, stopping only a few times to glance about, as though on the lookout for something. Initially, the forest hadn't phased her, but now, it seemed as though it was closing off around her, shrouding her in darkness.

She shuddered, hugging herself. She'd wait here until Inuyasha came around the bend and found her.

The trees of the forest stopped shifting in the breeze; they seemed to pulse, for a moment, as though their hearts, rusted with time, had begun to beat again.

Kagome reached for her arrows.

_I don't have my bow!_

The forest tops closed over her, concealing the patches of blue sky and the slim beams of sunlight that had managed to pierce through the infinite darkness.

Something behind her groaned; she turned, scanning the forest around her. Inuyasha was nowhere to be found. She felt frozen to the spot, unable to cry out, to call to him to help her.

The forest closed in around her, its shadowy arms obscuring the way back, reaching to devour her.

Inuyasha paused again, watching from the corner of his eye Kagome's retreating figure go forwards, towards the heart of the forest. Something here didn't feel right, as though the shadows were moving somehow...

"Kagome?"

She had disappeared around the bend. He gave up on allowing her independence, and flew towards where she'd gone, his robes billowing around him as he leapt lightly between the trees.

He knew she couldn't have gone far. The forest was dark, and she was tired. Plus, she couldn't match him for speed no matter how she tried.

"Kagome!"

The forest answered him in echoes. She couldn't have gone further than this...

A second scent, more pungent than Sesshoumaru's, suddenly wafted past him. He crinkled his nose in disgust. It was coming from in front of him, yet it wasn't...something about it was confusing, as though it existed in all places, and in no place.

He suddenly realized that Kagome had vanished into the forest. Or rather, she was being concealed _by _the forest...

Without being able to see or hear her, he had no way to find her. Panic filled him, and he began to run.

"KAGOME!"

Rin raced between the tall trees, looking about anxiously for any sign of Lord Sesshoumaru or Jaken. They could not have traveled far, but the forest was so large–if they were looking for her, they might not be able to find her. She was so small, it would be a wonder if they could even see her, in the darkness.

She paused for a moment, clutching tightly to her flower. What would happen if they didn't find her? Would she spend her life wandering the ends of the earth, searching for them?

Around her, the trees shuddered, though there was no breeze. The sky itself seemed to be darkening.

Or was it?

_The trees are moving!_

She spun around, hoping Lord Sesshoumaru would be there. Instead, the trees around her moaned and bent towards her, shrouding her in blackness.

Kagome backed up against a small dirt mound. There was no sign of Inuyasha anywhere. The forest, or whatever it was, had become completely dark. 

The entire image was a facade, a falsehood, a lie. The forest didn't exist, not as she had seen it, anyway. Somehow, it had been created, and the monster who had created it was searching for her, or anyone else, who had entered it. 

But why hadn't Inuyasha been able to sense it? Why had he let her come in here? Was he in danger? He should have smelled something so foul...

She couldn't think of Inuyasha now. She had to get out of here.

Through the thicket of trees, she could see a dim light. 

_Perhaps that's the exit_...

But the light was moving. It was drawing closer to her.

_That isn't a light...its...an eye!_

Kagome turned, scrambling up the small dirt mound, away from the oni that was shifting through the darkness of the trees. The smell was overpowering now, like something left behind in the shadows of time; a hulking revenant whose days had passed by and changed but had forgotten its existence.

She shoved herself up the dirt mound, struggling through the darkness. She couldn't see anything, not a hint of blue sky. She couldn't just stand here, she had to seek out the light, find her way out of the forest.

Her foot caught on something; she fell forward, hitting the ground hard. The Oni thundered towards her, the ground rumbling with its movements.

_Inuyasha..._

Something flashed out of the trees, speeding towards the Oni. A red blur sliced through the air, unsheathing a magnificent sword with a fur-trimmed handle. The trees bent backwards as the familiar power of the _Kaze no Kizu _shimmered through the air, blowing a jagged path clear across the ancient forest. The sounds of the Oni faded and disappeared.

"Kagome!"

"Inuyasha!" She pulled herself from the ground, half-running, half stumbling, to reach him. The darkness began to lighten, and a dim portion of sunlight shone through the thick treetops. He lay Tetsusaiga aside, clasping her in his arms as he met her through the woods.

"Are you alright, Kagome?"

She shuddered. "I want to get out of here."

He nodded. "This forest is possessed. I was so busy sensing Sesshoumaru that I didn't detect it until it was too late."

"Sesshoumaru is here?"

Inuyasha nodded, a snarl creeping across his face. "He was near the entrance. But for whatever reason, he decided not to attack." He sighed. "Let's go. It's a long way back, and I know you must be exhausted."

"I barely have the strength for anything, anymore. But I'm glad you destroyed that Oni."

"I didn't destroy it. It faded away."

"What?"

"Somehow, it avoided the _Kaze no Kizu_. It just disappeared."

"Why?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. And who cares? So long as you're not injured."

Kagome bent down and rubbed her knee. "Its just puzzling, that's all."

She would have expected him to scoff at her, but instead he simply re-sheathed the Tetsusaiga and bent down so she could climb upon his back. "Well, we can't stand here for the rest of our lives. The sooner we get out of this forest, the better."

He turned, poised to leave.

A small scream filtered through the woods.

Kagome placed one hand upon his shoulder, stopping him. "Do you hear that? The Oni's gone after someone else. That's why it left us behind."

"Maybe its Sesshoumaru. Or Jaken."

"We have to help them! We can't just leave and let them die."

"Do you really want to face it again, or something worse, even? We don't know what inhabits this forest."

"Inuyasha..."

"Dammit." He moved in the direction of the screams, pushing from the ground lightly, heading deeper into the forest.

  


Rin had been wandering aimlessly, searching for the light that would signal the outside world, and perhaps Lord Sesshoumaru and Jaken. She felt like she'd been walking for an eternity, but she hadn't stopped. The sounds of the forest, and the darkness of the trees behind her, kept her moving. 

If only she'd not gone after that flower, she wouldn't have been separated from them, and been lost like this. She would obey Lord Sesshoumaru for always from now on, and not try to indulge in things that might get her into trouble.

The trees to the right of her shifted just a bit. A dim light appeared between them.

_The edge of the Forest?_

But it was moving towards her, rumbling the ground like an earthquake. And it smelled, like something dead or dying. Rin backed away, certain this was something dangerous.

_Sesshoumaru-sama, where are you?_

She turned, running into the blackness, away from the light in the trees. She stumbled over rocks and roots, her bare feet crushing the leaves and grass beneath them, slipping in the soft dirt. The flowers loosened from her obi, spreading a soft path behind her. Only the orchid remained, clasped tightly in her hand, refusing to be let go even as the monstrous Oni finally emerged from the darkness, shaking the earth around him as he pounded towards her.

Rin's feet slipped out from under her, unable to keep steady as the earth beneath her rippled and shook.. It was coming closer, and she was trapped. There was nothing else she could do to get away.

She screamed.

Inuyasha crested the hill, holding tightly to Kagome, and moving as quickly as he could in the directions of the scream. The trees were becoming a blur, but he could smell as well as sense the Oni–it wasn't too far away.

He just hoped whomever the Oni was chasing could hold on long enough to wait for them.

"Look!"

He slid to a halt on the top of a small hill and turned in the direction Kagome was pointing. A small glade dropped below them, shadowed by bent, twisted trees. He could just make out the figure of a small girl, dressed in an orange checked kimono, cowering in fear beneath the hulking form of the Oni.

"That's the girl that travels with Sesshoumaru!"

"And where is he when she's in danger?" Inuyasha placed her down and unsheathed Tetsusaiga. "Stay here." He leapt from the hill, racing as fast as he could towards the Oni. 

_If I can just get there..._

The Oni turned, sensing his presence. And snatched the girl by her throat.

_Dammit..._

Inuyasha quickened his pace, flying through the dimly lit glade as quickly as he could. Even running as his fastest, he wouldn't be able to reach her in time. The little girl gasped, struggling with the monster, but he breaths began to fade, and her arms to weaken. He couldn't use the _Kaze no Kizu_ here, because he would endanger the girl. It would have to be a direct hit.

He leapt forward, the Tetsusaiga raised for the attack. The Oni raised its free arm, and with a speed not even Inuyasha could detect, swung backward, knocking him off his feet and sending him hurtling into the trunk of one of the ancient trees.

He struggled against the pain, trying to refocus on the blurry image of the Oni, raising its other hand to clasp the girl's limp arm. It was working on something tucked away in her hand, but even in her weakened state, she was fighting against it.

_She has as much heart as Kagome...she lives on, even as she loses more and more..._

Inuyasha staggered to his feet, moving towards the monster again. The girl gasped painfully and finally fainted, the Oni trying to snatch the object out of her hand before giving up, and raising her above its head, squeezing as powerfully as it could at her tiny body.

_I can't reach her...she's going to die..._

The Oni groaned, a loud, cacophonic cry that rumbled throughout the enchanted forest, signaling its triumph. Inuyasha snarled, raising the Tetsusaiga, and bolted like lightning back across the glade.

_It's no use..._

A white blur flew through the air; the Oni's arm fell to the ground, followed swiftly by its head. A third strike freed the girl from its grasp, and she fell to the forest floor, laying still across the mottled grass.

Inuyasha slid to a crashing halt, the Tetsusaiga dropping to his side, 

Sesshoumaru straightened, re-sheathing Tokijin, before bending down to lift the girl from the ground. She lay silently in his arm for a moment, then gasped, struggling for breath. A bright pink flush flooded through her face, and she looked peaceful, as though she was sleeping.

Inuyasha couldn't believe what he was seeing. Sesshoumaru, who hated humans, Sesshoumaru, who killed them because they were worth nothing, cradling this small child, risking his own life to save hers? 

_Impossible..._

Sesshoumaru turned, gazing at him through the trees. For just one moment, Inuyasha thought he saw the inuyoukai's eyebrows narrow in surprise. Kagome came up behind him, staring at Sesshoumaru with an amazed expression.

"Sesshoumaru-sama! Sesshoumaru-sama!" Jaken burst through the trees, nearly tripping over his robes as he surveyed the scene before him–Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru, eyes locked, standing but ten feet apart in a dead, tense silence.

Inuyasha snorted, re-sheathing Tetsusaiga forcefully. "Let's go, Kagome."

"But..."

"Let's go." He turned, his back to his half-brother, and clasped Kagome's hand, pulling her along behind him. She continued to stare back at Sesshoumaru in surprise, moving at a normal pace only after they'd left the others behind completely.

When he turned back to her, she was smiling.

"What is it?"

"Nothing."

"What!"

"Nothing! I'll tell you later, sometime."

"I want to know now."

"Later. Let's go back, I'm starving."

"Kagome!"

"Let go of my hand."

"Tell me what happened!"

"Inuyasha!"

"Tell..."

_"Osuwari!"_

Jaken turned at the sound of the small but resonant thud that echoed through the forest, which now appeared as it had before, with small bits of sunlight shining through the thick trees. Lord Sesshoumaru's battle with the monster had freed the forest of its curse, and now it was free to exist in the rhythm of time, to live in the present, and to fly once more on the breezes of the natural wind.

Lord Sesshoumaru had not yet set Rin down, though Jaken had offered to make her a comfortable bed atop Aun. The search for the girl had been a relentless one; as soon as they realized the forest had swallowed her Lord Sesshoumaru had not stopped, even to allow Jaken to keep up. It was a miracle in itself that she had survived such a dangerous forest, or that they had been able to find her at all, especially when the heart of the forest was so dark and thick.

The girl stirred, cradling against Lord Sesshoumaru's boa. He stopped his march for a moment to peer down at her, almost appearing to see if she was alright.

_I'm sure he's just stopping to scold her, that naughty girl. If only she'd listened to Lord Sesshoumaru in the first place, none of this wouldn't have happened...and I wouldn't have had such blisters on my feet!_

"S...Sesshoumaru-s-sama?" she gasped softly.

"Rin."

_Here it comes..._

"Are you alright?"

Jaken fell over backwards.

Rin shuddered in his arms. "I..I was afraid. But I believed in you."

Lord Sesshoumaru did not reply.

Jaken struggled up. _Why? Why did he not punish her? Why did he ask if she was alright?_

Rin raised her arm weakly, unfolding her hand and holding out a crushed flower, black with a red heart. Despite its condition, it was still quite beautiful. She raised it to him, placing it in his breastplate, then fell back into his arms, asleep.

Sesshoumaru stared at the flower for a moment. 

Jaken scoffed. _As though he would keep such a sentimental, frivolous thing. Its not even in good condition! Its beaten and..._

Lord Sesshoumaru moved onwards, a placid expression on his face. The flower remained where it was.

Jaken fell over backwards.

Inuyasha and Kagome finally reached the end of the forest, the bright light of the meadow greeting them as they moved into the lush, tree-less grass.

Kagome smiled. It took an adventure into a dark, haunted forest to make one realize that she'd never appreciated how blue the sky really was.

"Inuyasha, Kagome! Thank goodness!" Miroku ran towards them, a large smile on his handsome face. Sango and Shippou were not far behind.

Inuyasha turned his face. "What's up?"

"We'd hoped that you'd managed to make it!"

"Managed to _make it?_" 

"We tried to find you before you went in. Apparently, there is a lot of bad jyaki from that forest. The local monks told us that anyone who goes in doesn't come out again."

"Oh really? That would have been nice to know _before_ we went into the forest."

"Well, you had left here by the time we discovered the danger. We couldn't get back here, and by then you were already gone."

Shippou snorted. "We could have gotten here sooner, if someone hadn't volunteered to 'exorcize' the Lord's house and save his beautiful daughter."

Miroku folded his arms. "They were being haunted by a youkai. And I'll thank you to know that she wasn't _that_ beautiful."

"I believe it was Sango that changed your mind on that. Or rather, Hiraikotsu."

Sango crossed her arms, blushing. "I really didn't care. He was simply holding us up, was all."

Kagome smiled. "So, what caused this jyaki?"

"Apparently, hundreds of years ago, there were a pair of star crossed lovers in this village. Their parents wouldn't let them see one another, so they went into the forest, hoping to run away. But they were attacked–and only the young man survived. Somehow, it seemed, he'd left the girl behind him. He was so racked with guilt, so certain that his heart had been left behind in the forest, that he went back into it to find her. But he never did. He died, bitter and angry, and cursed the forest, vowing to search for her, even after his death. Apparently, any young woman who journeys into the forest meets a horrible fate when he discovers it is not his lost love he's found."

"I guess Sesshoumaru destroyed it, then..."

Miroku raised an eyebrow. "Sesshoumaru was there?"

"He's gone, now." Kagome shuddered. "How incredibly sad...to live your whole lives, and beyond, frozen in time–unable to let anything go." She turned to Inuyasha. "Promise me we'll never do that...even if we walk to the ends of the earth, promise me we'll never remain behind."

He shrugged. "Keh."

"Inuyasha..."

"Fine. I promise. Can we go now? Naraku's probably gathered all the shards of the jewel by now." Without looking back, he marched forward. 

Kagome glanced back at the Deep Forest, watching as the dark trees shifted in the breeze. _ So long as we live our lives in the present, we can overcome anything–darkness, fear, lies...any made-up schemes...so long as we live in the present, and we believe–in each other._

Inuyasha turned, glancing impatiently back at her. She smiled, and with a final glance back at the forest, ran to catch up.

Sesshoumaru moved to the edge of the cliff side. Rin was sleeping on Aun's back, Jaken curled up beside the great beast, his human head staff clutched in his hands.

The talisman that had saved Rin had been hers all along. The orchid, for whatever reason, held the power to stop the Oni. Even with the power of Tokijin, he would not have been able to overcome the monster had she not held tightly to the flower.

He wondered what had guided her to pick such a thing. Humans were confusing creatures. Especially this little girl.

He fingered the flower delicately.

He would let them sleep, for a few more hours.


End file.
